Monday, April 27, 2015

The Crimefest international convention of crime
writing is coming up next month in Bristol, England.Though I will not be there in person, I will
in spirit.It pains me to be miss the
charming company of my blogmates past and present.

As at most of such gatherings, awards will be
given in many categories.This year, at
Crimefest, two MIE bloggers, one current, one emerita, are shortlisted for a prestigious
prize.Here is the text from the
announcement:

“PETRONA AWARD

The Petrona Award is presented independently from
the CRIMEFEST Awards at the convention’s
Gala Awards Dinner. The award is for best Scandinavian crime novel of the year.
It was established in memory of Maxine Clarke who – using the pen name Petrona
– was one of the first online crime fiction reviewers and bloggers. Passionate
about translated crime fiction, she particularly loved novels from Scandinavian
countries. The winner receives a commemorative award and a Full Weekend Pass
for CRIMEFEST 2016 where he or she is
invited to appear on a panel.

KUDOS TO YRSA AND JØRN!!We are all so proud of you both.I only wish I could be there to cheer you on.

MIE rules say we shouldn’t engage in shameless
self-promotion except when we have a new book launching.But nothing prevents me from bragging about
the sterling company I have the privilege of keeping. So for those who have not read the books in
question, here they are:

The second William Wisting mystery to be translated into
English, after the successful Dregs. Ove Bakkerud, newly separated and
extremely disillusioned, is looking forward to a final quiet weekend at his
summer home before closing for winter but, when the tourists leave, less
welcome visitors arrive. Bakkerud's cottage is ransacked by burglars. Next door
he discovers the body of a man who has been beaten to death. Police Inspector
William Wisting has witnessed grotesque murders before, but the desperation he
sees in this latest murder is something new. Against his wishes his daughter
Line decides to stay in one of the summer cottages at the mouth of the fjord.

A creepy, compelling thriller, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME
is the fifth Thora Gudmundsdottir novel from Yrsa, 'Iceland's answer to Stieg
Larsson' (Daily Telegraph). A young man with Down's Syndrome has been convicted
of burning down his care home and killing five people, but a fellow inmate at
his secure psychiatric unit has hired Thora to prove Jakob is innocent. If he
didn't do it, who did? And how is the multiple murder connected to the death of
Magga, killed in a hit and run on her way to babysit? A creepy, compelling
thriller, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME is the fifth Thora Gudmundsdottir novel.

Thanks to everyone for the congratulations, but CrimeFest have actually published last year shortlist. It does not really matter, because Yrsa and I have been nominated this year as well. Here are this year's shortlist: